Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Tear your heart out

Tanner Halvorson is shown leading the "J-A-G-U-A-R" cheer during game four tonight.

That was an incredibly difficult loss!

Not much else to say.

The Sauk Centre Mainstreeters defeated the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team 3-2 tonight in a non-conference border battle. The Jaguars led 9-8 in game five before faltering when it counted the most. The final score of game five was 15-10. Things looked very promising after the first two games, which were 25-17 and 25-18 wins for the Blue and Silver.

Here's video from game four, where the Jaguars later squandered an early lead:


The Jaguars (12-7) look to regroup for Thursday night, when they host Rockford Area in a Central Minnesota Conference match up.


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COOL! Homecoming coronation streaming online

Click on the B-B-E school website homepage link: http://www.bbe.k12.mn.us

and then scroll down to the "Homecoming" section and click on the embedded video graphic.

This is awesome! Great job, B-B-E Broadcasting students!

Update: seniors Tommy Cebulla and Kinlee Swanson were crowned Homecoming king and queen this morning.
Queen Kinlee Swanson and King Tommy Cebulla: heads of the 26th B-B-E Homecoming royal court.


Tonight you can watch a live stream of the home volleyball match by clicking on the video graphic below:


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Monday, September 29, 2014

Going the distance

At MACCRAY high school, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team had a tough night against the Wolverines but pulled out a drawn-out five game win to improve to 12-6 on the season.

Game scores were 23-25, 26-24, 14-25, 25-19, 15-8.

Next is a very tough draw when Sauk Centre comes to town for a Homecoming match. The Mainstreeters are in second place in the West Central Conference and 14-4 overall with a five-match winning streak.

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Saturday, September 27, 2014

Willmar tournament

In the first match of the Willmar tournament, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team swept Lakeview before beating Class 3A Sauk Rapids-Rice 2-1.

New London-Spicer is up next.

Update: the Jaguars beat the Wildcats 15-12 in game three!

In the semifinals, Central Minnesota Christian won in three games over the Jaguars.


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Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday Night Lights V: a shut out loss

At HLWW high school, the Jaguars football team trailed 7-0 at halftime against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted. Things got rough for the Jaguars in the third quarter, though, as HLWW now has a 21-0 lead with six minutes left.

Stay tuned for hopefully some good news!

Final: HLWW 28, B-B-E 0. The Jaguars (1-4) were negative-two in the turnover department. HL-W-W had no turnovers, while the Jaguars had one interception and one lost fumble. The Jaguars had 110 rushing yards, led by Tommy Cebulla's 80-yard performance. HL-W-W had 216 rushing yards and 66 through the air.

Here's some fourth quarter video in the closing minutes:


I heard that Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg beat West Central Area. I was surprised and have to hear it from another source to believe it. *Update: K-M-S beat WCA 18-10 in Barrett.

Central Minnesota Conference football week five scores on Sept. 26:
Holdingford 14, Eden Valley-Watkins 6
Pierz 62, Kimball Area 6
Maple Lake 45, Rockford 15

Area football week five scores:
New London-Spicer 27, Litchfield 21
Upsala-Swanville Area 35, Royalton 0
Alexandria 34, Willmar 31
Minneota 33, Dawson-Boyd 21 
Jordan 39, Mayer Lutheran 24
Minnesota Valley Lutheran 41, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 12

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

Jaguars vs. Lakers

At Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted tonight in a Central Minnesota Conference match, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team made quick work of the Lakers in a 3-0 win. Game scores were 25-18, 25-11, 25-11. HL-W-W is 3-10 overall and 1-3 in the CMC. Next for the Jaguars (8-5 overall) is the loaded Willmar tournament on Saturday, which starts with a 9 a.m. match against Lakeview from the tough-as-nails Camden Conference.

Central Minnesota Conference volleyball scores on Sept. 25:
Kimball Area 3, Pierz 1
Holdingford 3, Eden Valley-Watkins 2
Maple Lake 3, Rockford Area 0


Area volleyball scores on September 25:
New York Mills 3, Bertha-Hewitt 1
Minnewaska Area 3, Benson 1
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 3, BOLD 2
Montevideo 3, Yellow Medicine East 2
Rocori 3, Willmar 1
Sauk Centre 3, Paynesville Area 0
Central Minnesota Christian 3, Minneota 0
Browerville 3, Royalton 1
Swanville 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 1
Upsala 3, West Central Area 0



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Accident on Highway 104

This photo was taken at 18:58 tonight.

Two fullsize trucks and/or vans collided at the intersection of Pope County Highway 29 and Minnesota State Highway 104 at approximately 18:30 tonight. At that time the fire trucks and rescue personnel drove out of Brooten. The collision was at some time before that.

Details to follow after the Minnesota State Patrol has released them.

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(Herald video) BBE Jr. High Jaguars at K-M-S

The B-B-E Jaguars 8th grade football Jaguars battled with Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg in Murdock on Tuesday this week. The Fighting Saints put up a touchdown in overtime to get the win. Below is video from the final few plays of the game / scrimmage.



The B-B-E Jaguars football varsity team travels to Howard Lake on Friday night for their fifth game of the season.

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(Herald video) B-B-E vs. Holdingford volleyball

Here's action from late in game four last Thursday night:


The B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team travels to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted tonight for their fourth Central Minnesota Conference match of the season.

Still haven't had a chance to upload my photos from the Holdingford match. It's been one of those weeks when I can't catch my breath until the week's almost over.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Homecoming 2014

Easten Zenzen and Hannah Prentice shown during the Homecoming Pep Fest games on Sept. 20, 2013.

From the B-B-E school site:

Homecoming 2014 Information!
Forever & For Always: Sep. 30th – Oct. 3rd
Dress Up Days
Tuesday- Super Hero Day
-Coronation will be Tuesday at 9:15a.m.
Wednesday- Wacky Wednesday
Thursday- ‘Murica (Red, White, & Blue)
-Volleyball during 5th hour and first part of 6th
-Ice Cream Sundaes During Lunch
Friday- Jaguar Day (School Spirit)
-Pep Fest- Dismiss at 2:20- End of Day
-Tailgating before football game

**Medallion Hunt clues will be given throughout the week!
There will be fundraising activities going on during this week that are raising money for some great causes: Hydrocephalus and Leukodystrophy
~Rolls and juice will be for sale every day before school in the concession stand
~Ice Cream Sundaes During Lunch on Thursday
~1st Hour Blitz (Wed./Thurs.)- Class who raises most money gets reward
~DJ at lunch- $1/song request
~Every $50 raised throughout the week will get one teacher a pie to the face at the Pep Fest (students will get to vote on the teachers)

B-B-E High School is getting ready to celebrate homecoming again this year. Homecoming week is September 30th through October 3rd. Our student council has planned many great activities. As in the past, BBE High School in no way, shape, or form supports or condones any reckless behavior, vandalism, or illegal behavior by our students in the community. These types of behavior are a violation of our Hazing Policy and ARE NOT OKAY. Homecoming at BBE includes the activities and events we plan and supervise; nothing more.

Reports of negative Homecoming behavior by our students are welcomed and will be forwarded to law enforcement. Please report any concerns regarding student conduct associated with state and local laws to law enforcement as you would during any other week of the year.
Please help us provide a safe, fun, healthy, and successful Homecoming in 2014.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Groundwater meeting is Wednesday

Public invited to attend Bonanza Valley Groundwater Management Area meeting in Belgrade Sept. 24

The public is invited to attend a project advisory team meeting for the Bonanza Valley Groundwater Management Area, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 9 a.m. to noon, at the VFW Soboe Leverson Post in Belgrade.
The purpose of the project advisory team is to assist the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in developing a local plan for sustainable use of groundwater. Statewide there has been a 35 percent increase in groundwater use over the past 25 years.  The Bonanza Valley area has seen a 175 percent increase during the same period.  The area’s boundary extends from just south of Alexandria to the area around Paynesville and includes the cities of Paynesville, Brooten, Belgrade, Westport, Glenwood and Villard.

Individuals do not need to be on the project advisory team to attend the meeting.  The meetings are open for stakeholders to observe, and time is available at the end of the formal meeting to provide comments and ideas.

The Bonanza Valley Groundwater Management Area is one of three such areas around the state, established by the DNR to help communities and individuals in these areas better understand groundwater resources and plan for future development.

Questions about the Bonanza Valley project can be directed to Mark Hauck, DNR project manager, at 320-223-7846 or mark.hauck@state.mn.us.  More information is also available on the DNR website, www.mndnr.gov/groundwater.

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Monday, September 22, 2014

B-B-E vs. Holdingford football

The Jaguars defense collapses on the Huskers on Friday, with Adrian Belden (64) and Zach Walz (56) making a tackle. PHOTO BY MIKE KOSIK, ALBANY ENTERPRISE

A photo gallery will be uploaded this week from the game.

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Stearns County ag tour

Jim Anderson visits with members of the Georgia Parliament on the site of a new hog finishing barn.

I spent the better part of today touring three Stearns County farms with a group of Georgia Parliament members who serve on that country's agriculture committee. Georgia is a small country in Eurasia bordered by the Black Sea, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. They currently import about 75 percent of their food stock and are looking for ideas, methods and technologies that can help them become more self-sufficient to feed their 4.9 million residents.

Below is a video clip from the Jim and John Anderson farm near Belgrade. Other tours took place at Joe Eibensteiner's farm in rural Elrosa and the Cyril Felling, Jr. dairy farm south of Sauk Centre.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)


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Sunday, September 21, 2014

(Video) BBE Jaguars football

Here's a clip from the win at Kimball in week three:



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Prairie Conference tennis

Members of the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team had a truly super Saturday this weekend.

Morgan Meyer and Erin Rooney at one doubles advanced to the championship match of the Prairie Conference girls' tennis tournament on Saturday. They were facing the one doubles team from state-ranked Osakis when the event was rained out. At two doubles, Jessica Raveling and Sonja Carson were playing for third place when that was rained out.

Three-doubles players Mallory Bents and Addy Wohlman took third place.

Long Prairie-Grey Eagle activities director Randy Swanson reported that the unfinished matches will be made up at a future date.

Other details will be posted later.
'

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday Night Lights IV: Huskers rule the turf

Multiple bad breaks going against the B-B-E Jaguars football team put them in a deep hole they couldn't recover from, and the result was a 47-6 loss. They take a 1-3 record to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted next week.

The first few minutes gave a preview of how the game would develop. After starting the game with possession of the ball, the Jaguars got eight yards of offense from the 34-yard line and punted from their own 42. The Huskers came up with a blocked punt and returned it to the B-B-E 17-yard line with 10:08 on the clock. A three-yard run and and eight-yard run set up a six-yard touchdown with 9:04 left in the first quarter. A good PAT made it 7-0. The Huskers proceeded to go up 21-0 with a third touchdown scored at the 1:41 mark in the first quarter. That score came on a 20-yard touchdown run, the only play of the Holdingford drive. The Huskers got possession of the ball at the B-B-E 20 after the Jaguars fumbled a punt return.

At halftime it was 35-0. The JV Jaguars came up with a fumble recovery that was returned to the Holdingford one-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Ryan Illies ran in the touchdown to bust up the shut out.

No word yet on HLWW vs. Pierz. The Pioneers clobbered HL-W-W 33-0 to stay undefeated on the season at 4-0 and move to 3-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference. They are in first place by themselves after Eden Valley-Watkins lost to Maple Lake tonight.

Sauk Centre and Melrose Area both lost.

Section 4A standings through week four (incomplete) with my power rankings included:
1st - Minneapolis North (3-0, they played tonight)
2nd - Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (3-1)
3rd - Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (2-2)
4th - B-B-E (1-3)
5th - Mayer Lutheran (0-4)
6th - Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (1-3)
7th - Kimball Area (0-4)
8th - Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (0-4)

**Jaguar team members and their fans, this is important: if the playoffs began today, the Jaguars would be the fourth seed in Section 4A and would host a first-round playoff game against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart or Mayer Lutheran. I believe Mayer Lutheran would be ranked higher than BL-H-S right now based on strength-of-schedule, even though BL-H-S has one win compared to Mayer Lutheran having none. Our 1-3 record would probably be ranked just a little bit above where Mayer Lutheran would come in on the power rankings. Mayer Lutheran will finish with at least two or three wins and most likely get into the top four in the final section rankings. If Mayer Lutheran ends up with three wins and the Jaguars end up with three wins before playoffs, I believe Mayer Lutheran would be power ranked above the Jaguars but not by much. A realistic look suggests, if the Jaguars end up with a 3-5 record in the regular season, they would come in ranked fifth or sixth with a possibility of being ranked fourth if Mayer Lutheran ends up 2-6.

The players have to believe that there is a great deal left to play for, because that's the way it is. I haven't analyzed statistics or interviewed any of the coaches after tonight's game, so I can't comment on whether or not tonight was a step backwards or simply a night where they treaded water. If the Jaguars can continue improving, I truly believe they can make a run in the section playoffs.

Stay tuned.

Central Minnesota Conference football scores on Sept. 19 in week four:
Pierz 33, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Rockford Area 45, Kimball Area 0
Maple Lake 29, Eden Valley-Watkins 21

Area football scores on September 19:
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 33, Sauk Centre 28 (Mainstreeters led 28-27 but gave up a touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter)
Minnewaska Area 30, Melrose Area 12 (a successful Homecoming night for the Lakers)
Osakis 22, Wadena-Deer Creek 20
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 26, Prairie Valley 6
Martin County West 42, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
Albany Area 41, Milaca 14 
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 42, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 18
Willmar 37, Grand Rapids 7
New York Mills 39, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 23
Adrian 35, MACCRAY 14
Minneota 76, Canby 0 (.......................wow!)
Dawson-Boyd 41, Lac qui Parle Valley 16 (will the Eagles ever beat their smaller neighbors to the south?)
New London-Spicer 20, Glencoe-Silver Lake 7 (a signature win for Coach Dan Essler's Wildcats)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 32, Benson 22
Upsala/Swanville Area 46, Browerville 6
Royalton 34, West Central Area 0
Brandon/Evansville 8, Ortonville 6
BOLD 35, Montevideo 8
Paynesville Area 76, Yellow Medicine East 8
Watertown-Mayer 34, Norwood-Young America 13 (NYA's first loss of the season)

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Coming tonight, Friday Night Lights IV

Two teams that are 1-1 in the Central Minnesota Conference will battle tonight when the B-B-E Jaguars football team hosts Holdingford.

I'll post updates as much I am able to while I cover both the Sauk Centre and B-B-E home football games.

It'll be a busy night!

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Thursday, September 18, 2014

Huskers vs. Jaguars

The hometown fans salute the volleyball team after they finished with a win tonight against Holdingford and won game four 25-17.

Game one: 25-14 win against Holdingford.
Game two: the Jaguars turned a 6-5 lead into a 17-10 lead, then fell back to an 18-16 lead before pulling away for a 25-18 win.
Game three: the Huskers came back from deficits of 12-5 and 20-11 to tie it at 23-23 and then earn the final two points to win 25-23.
Game four: the Jaguars built an early 12-4 lead and then 19-13 before cruising to a 25-17 win.

Next for the Jaguars volleyball team is a road match at Howard Lake next Thursday.

Due to technical difficulties, I won't be able to get more video posted from the volleyball match until some time this weekend. ##technologyfail

Here's video from the end of game two tonight:


At Long Prairie, the Jaguars girls' tennis team lost a heartbreaker 4-3 after holding a 3-2 lead. They finish the Prairie Conference schedule in third place with a 3-2 record. Next is the Prairie Conference tournament back at the LP-GE high school on Saturday.

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(Photo gallery) B-B-E vs. Kimball football

Ben Thompson (51)  made a great open-field tackle in the second quarter on Kimball receiver Dunkin Westrich, causing the football to spring loose. The Cubs caught a huge break when the ball literally bounced straight back into Westrich's arms even though it bounced on the turf about five feet away.
The Jaguars defensive line and linebacking corp will have to step up their game considerably against a powerful Holdingford running attack for Friday Night Lights IV. In week three, the Jaguars gave up over 200 rushing yards to the 0-3 Cubs.

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo gallery link from last Friday night:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/BBE-Jaguars-football-beats-Kim

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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

B-B-E grad on WCCO

Here's a screen shot of Carl Knutson on WCCO news tonight while visiting with a WCCO news reporter on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.

Carl Knutson, B-B-E Class of 2013, was part of a news broadcast on WCCO news tonight. The segment called "Good Question" featured discussion of the transformation of the artificial turf at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the Golden Gophers football team and the Minnesota Vikings. Carl asked one question regarding how paint is removed from the field when changing between Gophers and Vikings markings.

In visiting with his dad last summer, I learned how Carl got involved with the Big 10 Network and sports broadcasting with the University of Minnesota Gophers. To see him on a prime time news show is cooler yet!

Great things happen when you're part of the B-B-E Speech program!!!! (Carl was an incredibly successful state speecher for B-B-E while a member of the speech team)

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Parents' Night win!

Sonja Carson gets a high five from Coach Olson after she and two-doubles partner Jessica Raveling won the third set and give the Jaguars a 2-1 lead in points against WCA.

A three-set win at two-singles by Morgan Pastian gave the Jaguars girls' tennis team a 4-1 lead and a nice conference win over West Central Area on Parents' Night. The match started out with WCA getting a win at three singles and the Jaguars winning at three doubles. B-B-E's second point came from a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win by Jessica Raveling and Sonja Carson at two doubles, and the lead stretched to 3-1 with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win by Katie Boie at four singles.

Morgan Pastian slugged out a three-set win at two singles by scores of 6-0, 2-6 and 6-1 to hand her team the win. The final score was 6-1.

It's the fourth team win of the season for the Jaguars, who play at Long Prairie on Thursday. That will complete the dual matches for the Prairie Conference schedule.

In junior high football action, the 7th grade Jaguars beat Holdingford 26-0, while the 8th grade Jaguars lost a tough battle by a 30-18 score. They trailed 16-6 at halftime but scored in the third quarter to make it 16-12. After the Huskers took a 24-12 lead, the Jaguars scored another touchdown to make it 24-18. They had the ball and were threatening to tie the game, but the Huskers came up with a pick-six play for the final score.

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Homecoming 2014

The 26th annual Homecoming week at B-B-E schools is September 30 to October 3.

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Monday, September 15, 2014

Tire slashers

I've heard reports of unknown thugs slashing tires of cars in the city of Brooten. Break-ins and thefts have also been taking place.

Here's what I know:
1. the thugs are awfully dumb in how they've operated
2. they've slashed the wrong tires of cars of people I wouldn't mess with
3. stupid criminals get caught

Keep your eyes and ears open and report anything you may know about these crimes to the police.

If I caught anyone trespassing on my property, my baseball bat would break their legs. I wouldn't be able to explain how the bat would do such a thing, but it would happen.

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Volleyball vs. Minneota

Against state-ranked Minneota, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team fell in three games 25-21, 25-18, 25-23 tonight in a non-conference match hosted by Ridgewater College in Willmar. In game three, a late comeback from a 21-14 deficit fell just short at the end.

Next is a home match on Thursday against Holdingford. The B-B-E Pep Band will play prior to the match.


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Volleyball

If you can't get to tonight's volleyball match, you can watch it online at midmnsports.com.

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Sunday, September 14, 2014

(Herald video) Jaguars beat Cubs!

Here's the end of the game, which had an exciting finish, on Friday night:


Up next is a tough, tough game at home against Holdingford on Friday, Sept. 19.

Also, the next Smooth Magic 107 FM sports broadcast for the Jaguars is on September 30 when Sauk Centre's volleyball team comes to town. Thanks, D-Mac!

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Photo gallery web link

Here's the web link to bookmark and check each week for Sauk Centre Herald photo galleries from Jaguar varsity sports this fall. It appears that I'm finally able to catch up and stay up to date on the uploads. Progress!
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal

A total of 147 photos were added from the Kimball football game.
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/BBE-Jaguars-football-beats-Kim


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Saturday, September 13, 2014

(Herald video) Jaguars vs. Cubs

Here's the PAT kick (it was short) after the Jaguars tied the game last night in Kimball:


I always have much, much more spring in my step after the Jaguars football team wins on Friday night! Great job!

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Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday Night Lights III: Jaguars WIN

The Jaguars gather on the north end of Kimball's field after earning their first win of the season, while Coach Gossen talks about the game. Both Gossen and Coach Moscho stressed to the team that as great as it was to win, they had a lot of work to do if they want to continue improving this season.

Down 6-0 at halftime, the Jaguars football team knew they had to turn it on in the second half or go home with an 0-3 record. And turn it on they did while scoring the last 14 points of the game in a 14-6 win. The Jaguars ran for 239 yards on the ground.

With 6:05 left in the first quarter, the Cubs scored on a 32-yard pass reception by Jarred Merchant. Their PAT kick sailed wide left to make it 6-0 Kimball. The Jaguars had numerous drives going in the first half but continually shot themselves in the foot, mostly due to three lost fumbles before halftime. They were 0-for-5 on third-down conversions in the first half.

B-B-E tied it up on a spectacular 66-yard touchdown run by Tanner Heinsius with 3:24 left in the third quarter. The PAT kick was short, making it 6-6 as the fourth quarter approached. It wasn't much later in the game when Tommy Cebulla busted loose while following great blocking and scoring on a 49-yard touchdown run with 9:28 left in the fourth quarter. Heinsius ran wide left for the two-point conversion, lowering his helmet against a Cubs tackler at the goal line to make it 14-6.

The Jaguars made countless great plays in the second half. One that stood out in my mind was on one of the game's last plays while the Cubs had a last-ditch effort with the clock winding down. Their star wide receiver, Merchant, caught a pass near the sideline on a second-down play with nine yards to go and under two minutes left. He appeared to try to get out of bounds, but B-B-E's Josey Tensen ran up and had a spectacular "takedown" move on the much larger Merchant to keep him in bounds and the clock running. Hey, Josey, Coach Vos would be proud of that move!!! Great job.

Next is a home game with Holdingford, who lost 26-7 to sixth-ranked (Class 3A) Pierz tonight to fall to 1-2 overall. The Cubs are 0-3 heading into their game at Rockford Area in week four. Eden Valley-Watkins and Pierz are tied for first in the CMC at 2-0 each. The Jaguars are in a four-way tie for third place in the CMC with HL-W-W, Maple Lake and Holdingford all having 1-1 league records with B-B-E. Rockford and Kimball Area are both 0-2 in the CMC and tied for seventh place.

The season started with five CMC teams ranked in the state polls. After two games, four held state rankings: Pierz, Eden Valley-Watkins (sixth, Class 2A), HL-W-W and Maple Lake. The Lakers were 11th and Irish were 12th in the latest Class 2A poll.

Here's a short video clip from the first quarter at Kimball. The Jaguars were driving down on their second possession of the game and were knocking on the door of taking an early 6-0 lead...that didn't materialize.


Central Minnesota Conference football week three scores:
Maple Lake 51, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 19, Rockford Area 14
Maple Lake 26, Holdingford 7

Area week three football scores on September 12:
Blooming Prairie 41, #6-ranked Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 6 (Awesome Blossoms' quarterback threw for 275 yards on 13-of-16 passing marks with six touchdowns)
Upsala/Swanville Area 41, New York Mills 12
Browerville 29, West Central Area 0 (Tigers head coach Wayne Petermeier gets his 100th career win)
Ottertail Central 48, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 6
Osakis 33, Prairie Valley 7
Albany Area 21, St. Cloud Cathedral 14
Norwood-Young America 28, Mayer Lutheran 7 (Raiders are 3-0, winning as many games as they did last year when they finished 3-8)
Paynesville Area 44, Melrose Area 0 (ouch!)
Minnewaska Area 44, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 8
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 53, Yellow Medicine East 14
Montevideo 21, Sauk Centre 14
BOLD 44, Benson 0
Hutchinson 47, Glencoe-Silver Lake 0
Holy Family Catholic 26, New London-Spicer 16
Canby 27, MACCRAY 12
Dawson-Boyd 61, Murray County Central 13
Royalton 48, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6
Sartell 49, Willmar 14

Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 29, Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 22
Minneapolis North 41, Minneapolis Washburn 0 (Wow! Washburn is a Class 5A team that went 8-2 last year and was 2-0 heading into tonight's game)
Ortonville 20, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 14 (Trojans get first-ever win over neighboring CGB)


More to follow later.

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Fall Fitness Finale coming

Click on the graphic for better viewing.

Sign up today for a very special fundraiser supporting the Rich Vos Scholarship at B-B-E. The event takes place on October 4, and you get a discount if you sign up by September 14.

High school and elementary students get a big discount to encourage participation. Kudos to all those who are supporting this!

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Jaguars vs. Panthers

Morgan Meyer and Erin Rooney, smiling bright tonight after becoming the winning one-doubles team for the Jaguars girls' tennis team. Their win was as good as it gets, coming by a third-set super tiebreaker by a 10-8 score.

A tough Parkers Prairie Panthers squad lost 4-3 to our Jaguars girls' tennis team tonight after holding a 3-1 lead. The Jaguars picked up exciting wins at one doubles, one singles and two singles for the come-from-behind win.


Next for the Jaguars, who improved to 3-5 overall with tonight's win, is a quadrangular meet at Litchfield on Saturday. The Jaguars are 2-1 in the Prairie Conference.

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo gallery from tonight:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/BBE-girls-tennis-vs-Parkers-Pr

Here's video from the two-singles match tonight:



At Kimball tonight, the Jaguars volleyball team rebounded from Tuesday's tough loss by taking out their frustration on the Cubs in Central Minnesota Conference action. The result was a quick win in three games. Next is another tough test when they face state-ranked (#3) Minneota next Monday at Ridgewater College in Willmar. The Vikings, a perennial state title contender, are 8-3 overall and 4-0 in the Camden Conference.

Central Minnesota Conference volleyball scores on September 11 (week two):
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, Rockford Area 1
Maple Lake 3, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Holdingford 3, Pierz 2 (Huskers win game five 15-12)

**Don't forget: if you can't make the trip to Kimball on Friday night to cheer on our Jaguars football team, be sure to tune into D-Mac's broadcast on Smooth Magic 107 FM!!

Area volleyball scores on September 11:
Braham 3, Onamia 1
Lakeview 3, MERCURY 1 (Lakers keep pace with Minneota in the Camden Conference)
Osakis 3, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Browerville 3, Upsala 0
Sebeka 3, Bertha-Hewitt 0
Sauk Centre 3, BOLD 0
Melrose 3, Minnewaska 0
Montevideo 3, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 2

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(Herald video) B-B-E vs. NL-S border battle

Here's action from the end of game three on Tuesday night:


The Jaguars volleyball team (5-4) travels to Kimball Area tonight for their second Central Minnesota Conference match of the season.

Have you gotten your ticket for the big raffle coming in Elrosa?

By the way, a quick mention for D-Mac's sports broadcast at Kimball tomorrow night for the big football game against the Cubs. His pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on Smooth Magic 107 FM of Glenwood.


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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

More band information

Our senior high band would have 54 members if every member of the band in 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades last year stayed in band coming into this year. We know that some underclassmen stuck with band through last year simply to go on the Bahamas trip. Others quit band this year because they're Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) students. Others quit over the summer before our new band teacher walked through the door for the first time because they were upset about Mr. Coppicus taking a job closer to home. Through all that, the senior high band has 38 members. I rate that is really good considering all of those above-mentioned factors!!!

Here's what the Morris Area high school band director told me about her approach to pep band. She's taught in Morris since the 1990s (I played with some of her pep bands when I was in college at UMM):
"In my handbook I state that 9-12 grade students are part of the pep band. If they cannot attend an event, I'll need a note in advance explaining why. Being in a sport that night automatically excuses them. To letter in band, being in pep band is a big part of that."

At another area school, where the director is in his 20th year, this is what he explained about his rules on pep band:
"First of all, what works in one school won't necessarily work in another. I've spent my 20 years here developing a culture and expectation that pep band is an extension of the band class. At Benson, band students regard pep band as a positive activity to be a part of. It's just something that "they do." For the most part, parents go along with that.
When I was new to the position, I had some of the same push back to mandatory pep band. Twenty years later, I typically have no trouble with participation. Getting to the point where every student in the band "wants" to be at pep band takes an attitude shift. Pep band is included in my grade book, although I rarely have to lower a student's grade because of a missed event. I try to get my students to understand that pep band is what they should do for the group/school/community and not just for a grade.
"My pep bands play at 20 scheduled events througout the year: four volleyball, four football, four girls' basketball, four boys' basketball, two hockey and two wrestling matches.
"

Shifting back to B-B-E, here's the scheduled pep band events for the 2014-2015 year: four home football games, three home volleyball matches, 7 boys' basketball and 5 girls' basketball games. That's 19 compared to 20 at the aforementioned school. Could it change year to year? Of course. Is this what the band director put on our schedule for this year? Yes. Is what the band director is asking for something that students should follow through on? Yes!! Is it the end of the world if a student misses one or two pep bands? No. Will a student have his or her grade docked if they miss one or two pep bands without an excused absence? No. Does our new band director want a large, robust pep band to show off to the community? Yes!!! Should we all work to help our band director meet that goal? Yes!!!

The student band handbook lays it all out.

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(Photo gallery) B-B-E vs. NL-S volleyball border battle

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo gallery link:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/Border-battle-BBE-volleyball-v


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Absolutely thrilled

Members of the pep band plus Mr. Coppicus are shown performing at halftime of the Section 4A football playoff opener on October 22, 2013. It was the first of two home football games the Jaguars won last fall.

I finally got around to reading through the new high school band student handbook. I have to say that I was absolutely thrilled by what I was reading. I am not kidding when I admit that my jaw hit the floor every time I read the next section. If we want a great band, the rules of the road are laid out in grand fashion in that handbook!

And just an FYI, at Sauk Centre, pep band is mandatory for senior high band members.

Please note this part of the handbook: "Students with jobs are expected to notify employers in advance and have scheduled event days available. Most potential conflicts can be eliminated with good planning, so communicate early with your employer about your band commitments. If you have trouble getting excused from work, a phone call from the director is almost always effective (provided adequate notice is given)."

Here's what I have to say: either band is part of a student's education or it isn't. You can't have it both ways. A parent wouldn't allow their senior high student to miss a math class every other Friday so they can clock in at a part-time job. A varsity football, tennis or volleyball player (or any other student-athlete) isn't missing a competitive game so they can clock in at a part-time job. A member of the speech team isn't missing a speech event so they can clock in at a part-time job.

That would be nonsense.

Don't forget that what fired me up was the plummeting 8th grade band numbers. I calm down somewhat in regards to a student pulling out of band as they get older. It's still irritating, but not to the point where I'm going to vent my anger on the Internet. From 10th to 11th grade or 11th grade to 12th grade, things change. Other classes can get tougher. Kids join college-credit courses. They take part-time jobs (but even then you can work around a pep band & concert band schedule). The demands of being a three-sport athlete can become more difficult. This isn't about any of that. It's about the fact that the difference between 7th grade and 8th grade is not a heck of a lot. I doubt anyone could find one dang good reason why a student should quit band between 7th and 8th grade. It makes no sense.

For heaven's sakes, if your 13-year old says they want to quit band, they better be awfully creative in giving a reason why!! Parents, it wouldn't kill your young teenager to teach them what the word "commitment" is all about.

I know I will catch heat for what I've been saying about the issue of students quitting band, an issue that  make me incredibly upset. So be it. I'm not in the business of pleasing everyone. With that said, after reading the new student band handbook, I want to stress that I am not as upset as I was yesterday. Our band is in good hands, even if it has growing pains because of students and/or parents who don't like what they read in the band handbook.

Band is an academic class. It's not some fluffy "extra" do-nothing waste of time. It is important to our school and our community! It should be looked at on the same level as any other academic course that has core requirements and certain expectations from the teacher.

Every day I want to see the B-B-E school improve. Regardless of what extracurricular or academic program we're talking about, there is always room for improvement. To make a program better, it needs the right amount of participation. For academic programs (test scores, band numbers) to improve, it takes a high level of hard work both inside the walls of a school building and outside those walls. A band won't improve without a proper commitment from students and parents alike. A great school has a great band. There's no way around it.

Remember the awesome feelings we had at the conclusion (and even in the middle) of every high school concert last year? Or the K-4 elementary musical? Folks, including me, walked out of every one of those B-B-E choral events with our chests puffed up, our shoulders straightened out with a buzz in the air as everyone agreed that those choral events were truly outstanding.

Some day, I hope those same feelings to abound when we walk out of a B-B-E band concert.

**Update: as is stated in the handbook, a student can receive up to three unexcused absences from band events before it would start affecting their grade. That applies to band concerts, pep bands or contest dates. After hearing some quite outlandish rumors about the "mandatory" pep band concept, I was really truly astounded. The band teacher said that no student who is part of a sporting event would be counted as absent from a pep band. They were pretty shocked that people would think that.

A little common sense would help out here!!!

Here's what we don't want to see: just 12 kids show up on pep band night. I don't know if the number was that low, but it was really low for Friday's home football game. Out of the senior high band, if a band member was on the football field that's totally an accepted absence from pep band. I get that. The new band teacher gets that. Anyone should understand that.

If a band member wasn't on that football field, they should've been in the pep band. They should have wanted to be in the pep band. To not want to play with the pep band all the time is a bizarre concept to me!!

The point is, pep band is important. Concert band is important. A high school's band program is important. Kids have to stick with it!!!! I don't know how else I can say it.

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Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Wildcats

The Jaguars try to regroup after losing a late lead in game one in a 25-23 loss to the Wildcats.

Sometimes you just get beat.

While mistakes were a large part of what happened tonight, a robust hitting attack by New London-Spicer also contributed to a tough 3-0 loss for our Jaguars volleyball team.

The Jaguars had nice leads of 16-11 and 21-16 in their hands before the Wildcats went on a run to tie it at 21-21 and ultimately win by a score of 25-23. Both teams traded slim leads in game two, with NL-S ahead 18-16 and 21-19 before they surged with four straight kills to win 25-19. The Jaguars led 6-3 and 9-6 in game three but fell behind 10-9. Leads of 17-14 and 19-16 couldn't hold up down the stretch, with NL-S forcing a sweep with a 26-24 win.

New London-Spicer, ranked 13th in the latest Class 2A poll, improves to 7-1 with the win. They were coming off of a five-game barn burner in which they defeated state-ranked (No. 12, Class 1A) Central Minnesota Christian-Prinsburg in New London last night. Game scores there were 25-19, 21-25, 25-27, 25-23, 15-12.

Tonight's loss was difficult to swallow for a number of reasons. First, it was NL-S getting the win. Second, the Jaguars certainly showed they were up to the task of beating the Wildcats but couldn't put together enough sustained rallies to counter the opponents. And finally, it marked the first time a volleyball team has lost at the elementary court since Sept. 28, 2006 when Eden Valley-Watkins earned an upset 3-2 win during Homecoming week.

Technically, it was the first home loss since the 2012 season. That year, with all home games at the high school, Sauk Centre won 3-2 on October 3. MACCRAY also beat the Jaguars at home that year by a 3-1 margin on Sept. 26. If you take away those two losses, the Jaguars won every home match from October of 2006 through tonight...a span of almost eight years. Holy moly!!!!!!!!

Here's a short video clip from tonight's match:

The Jaguars take a 5-4 record into a conference match at Kimball on Thursday night. The Cubs are 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference. Photos from tonight will be posted later.

Also, I have to give a huge shout out to the Jaguars girls' tennis team as they gear up for a Prairie Conference match on the home courts with Parkers Prairie on Thursday. The action starts at 4:30 p.m. Be sure to come out and take in the match if you're able to and cheer on our Jaguars.

Area volleyball scores on September 9:
Melrose Area 3, A-C-GC 0
Swanville 3, Browerville 2 (a big upset in the Prairie Conference!)
Montevideo 3, Minnewaska Area 2
Rocori 3, Alexandria 1
Willmar 3, Brainerd 1
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, St. Cloud Christian 0
Providence Academy 3, Rockford Area 2
Paynesville Area 3, BOLD 2 (a signature win for the resurgent Bulldogs)
Yellow Medicine East 3, Benson 1
Maple Lake 3, Dassel-Cokato 1
Pequot Lakes 3, Pierz 1
CMCS 3, K-M-S 1
Upsala 3, Eagle Valley 0
Osakis 3, West Central Area 1
Royalton 3, LP-GE 1

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Monday, September 08, 2014

High school band

I just heard that an enormous amount of 8th graders quit band some time over the summer or right before school started. There's currently 12 band members in the 8th grade band; just three are trumpets.

This "hey, let's quit band" trend has gone from annoying to really, really truly shameful. That's all I can say, as I am mad enough to spit nails right now. It's totally unfair to the new band teacher for a large group of kids to get the hair-brained idea to quit band and follow through on it.

Best not to speak when angry, right?

I'm very anxious to find out how many of the returning members of the senior high band are still in band when I talk to the new band teacher tomorrow morning. Fact: 54 band members were in the incoming 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades if everyone in band last spring stayed in it this year. Our former band teacher, Chris Coppicus, built our senior high band into something truly great. A band is a lot like football. The more numbers the better! Can you have a great band with few members? Yes, but it's extremely difficult to do, no different than having a truly great football team with few members.

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Wildcats are state-ranked

The New London-Spicer Wildcats volleyball team is state ranked in the latest Class 2A poll released earlier today. They have a 5-1 record heading into tomorrow night's big border battle Clash of the Titans against our state-ranked Jaguars volleyball team.

You won't want to miss tomorrow's match!


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Sunday, September 07, 2014

(Video) Jaguars score against EV-W

We had a terrific crowd on Friday night. It was great to see our side of the stands packed, with more fans filtering out along the fence on each side of the stadium.

Needless to say Friday night was a tough night for our Jaguars. They ended the game with just 157 total yards of offense. I expect things to turn around next week, although there's nothing to suggest that Kimball Area will be an easy game. I believe our guys are up the task!!

Here's the Sauk Centre Herald photo gallery from Friday's game:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/BBE-Jaguars-football-vs-EVW-95


Here's video of the Jaguars tying the game against Eden Valley-Watkins early in the second quarter on Friday in the home and conference opener:


On the second attempt, Tommy Cebulla kicked a successful PAT kick to make it 7-7.



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Volleyball team 15th at Marshall

The Jaguars volleyball team finished 2-3 at the Molten Southwest Challenge in Marshall on Friday and Saturday. In the second day of action, they lost to Jamestown (ND) in their second match and then beat LeSeuer-Henderson by a 2-1 score in the 15th-place match.

Up next is a huge, huge border battle on Tuesday night against New London-Spicer (5-1).


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Saturday, September 06, 2014

Volleyball 1-1 to start Southwest Challenge

After beating Class AAA Eastview in their opening match of the tournament in Marshall on Friday night, the Jaguars volleyball team fell 21-25, 21-25 to the #1-ranked Class AA Marshall Area Tigers.

In their first match today in Marshall, the Jaguars lost 2-1 to Sioux Falls Roosevelt. They take a 4-2 record into the final three matches of today's action.


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Friday, September 05, 2014

Friday Night Lights II: brilliance and disaster

The Jaguars offense started out with flashes of brilliance against state-ranked Eden Valley-Watkins.

With possession of the ball to start the game tonight in the home opener, the Jaguars football team had everything going their way in what appeared to be a 68-yard scoring drive. With a first-and-goal possession with just 7 yards to go, disaster struck with a lost fumble.

Eden Valley-Watkins, ranked #9 in Class AA, proceeded to drive 90 yards and scored with 2:54 left in the 1st quarter. 7-0 Eagles.

That lost fumble was just a preview of many more disasters to strike the Jaguars.

Stinging from going down 7-0, the Jaguars went right back to work and got a huge boost by Tanner Heinsius's 25-yard kickoff return. The Jaguars then drove 50 yards on 9 plays with Colby Schramel scoring on a 4-yard run with 9:04 left in the 2nd quarter. Tommy Cebulla's PAT kick made it 7-7.

Needless to say, it went south from there. The Eagles led 34-7 at halftime. Once their first string varsity players scored in the 3rd quarter, they took a very classy move and began subbing down. One offensive series later, and their JV players had taken over the game. B-B-E and EV-W slugged it out the rest of the game with JV teams going at it.

Final score vs. Eden Valley-Watkins: 41-7 loss.

Next for the Jaguars: a trip down Highway 55 to Kimball Area in Week 3, when two 0-2 teams will square off. The Cubs lost in rural Howard Lake tonight by a 45-6 score to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

Pierz beat Maple Lake 28-21. Holdingford traveled to Rockford and won 14-13.

Here's some video from last night:

Area football Week 2 scores on September 5:
Albany 28, Little Falls 10
Upsala/Swanville Area 42, Wadena-Deer Creek 8
Springfield 37, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 7
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 24, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 8
Sauk Centre 34, Benson 23
Montevideo 26, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 6
Melrose Area 33, Yellow Medicine East 26


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